5 Reasons that a Strong Father-Daughter Relationship is Important

All children need a father in their lives. In the ideal situation, it is their biological father who is with them throughout the at least the first half of their life. In other circumstances, a strong and supportive male figure can fill the role somewhat. In blended families, the step father often must shoulder the load for his new wife's children. A good father-daughter relationship is needed for several reasons.

A girl's father is the intended to be the first and most enduring male influence in her life.

From the time when he helps rock the cradle, throughout the school years, and into adulthood, the man who assumes the role of father to his daughter will loom large throughout her life. He will ultimately become the yardstick that all other men are measured by to her. Whether he is a good man or not, it will be her father that sets the standard for the other significant males with whom she develops a relationship.

It is important that a daughter know that her father accepts her.

Many young women grow up to choose one bad mate after another as they look for the acceptance that they never received from their father. It is tragic that such a simple thing as letter a daughter know that she is loved and accepted seems to be so difficult for some men to master. Parental acceptance is vital to the mental and emotional development of children.

With daughters, it is that fatherly acceptance that seems to weigh the heaviest. A growing young woman can get a great benefit from a strong male influence that gives her this sense of acceptance. If she gets this acceptance from her father, she will be better able to make wise choices regarding men.

A good father-daughter relationship helps her learn how and who to trust.

Absent fathers and fathers who choose to ignore the parenting side of fatherhood risk raising children who grow up unable to trust other people. Daughters need to see how responsible caring men act. While no man is perfect, a growing girl needs to see a father who is there for her. One that cares about her and her well-being. Trust is a vital part in human relationships. Without it, marriages crumble and fail. A good father-daughter relationship is the first and best paving stone leading to a stable adult and a lasting marriage for the daughter as she matures.

Although they will be mothers and not fathers, it is the father-daughter relationship that teaches a little girl how to be a good and loving parent.

Even sons benefit from the influence of a strong male parent when learning parenting skills from their own parents. With a good father-daughter relationship, girls will not only learn to be a good parent, but will learn to trust her future husband to be a good parent, too. With this type of father for a pattern, she is far more likely to marry a man who will become half of a good parenting team.

There are a few other things girls should learn from their relationship with their father.

She should see her father work hard to keep the family functioning and provided for. Today, many wives share the wage earning responsibilities, but daughters should be able to see a father who is not afraid of work and is willing to work as hard and as much as necessary to see the family succeed. This will influence her to become an extremely productive member of society.

She should learn how to say "no." Life will present her with many temptations. A good father-daughter relationship will give her the training and strength to make smart choices. This relationship should also be their for the adult daughter who may face some of those frightening places in life where she will continue to need his calming influence to make it through.